With the continuing release of great new music, sometimes it is refreshing to get away from the editor’s keyboard, take a step back from the walls of MetalTalk Towers and immerse myself in something that is just great music. One band that we have not covered before and that I have been enthralled by over the last couple of years is Coastal Fire Dept.
I first came across them with the single Gentleman. If you do nothing more than watch this video below, I will be more than happy.
Gentleman has a wonderfully addictive guitar riff and, as a whole piece, defines the great sound the three-piece Coastal Fire Dept. have. It is the repeated refrain of the lyrics that pushes it forward into memorable territory.
There was something so satisfying in that first listen. Simple is not the right word, as this is no throwaway track, but sat in the kitchen over a bottle of MetalTalk Moldovan Merlot, the four-time repeated opening lyric, “She’s getting dressed,” had me immediately engaged.
You have drummer Ozzy Austin walking around Guernsey in a long coat and stick, doffing his hat at passers-by, while clips of the band playing toy instruments at the Bridge at St Sampson’s is wonderfully cheesy.
With Ozzy occasionally taking a sip from his hip flask, he enters the charity shop towards the end and finds a shot glass that takes his fancy. He decides to buy it after giving it an in-shop test with the contents of said flask, obviously.
The song has a serious side too. “I was fed up with hearing about men’s predatory and unacceptable behaviour towards women in my community,” guitarist/vocalist Ollie Goddard said at the song release. “I was angry about it and wanted to remind guys to be a Gentleman when they are around a girl. What better way than shouting it out loud.”
Gentleman proved to be a great intro to the band. For me, Crank followed. Driven by the bass of Saad Frihmat, this is a juicy track, and I love the layered guitars here. Cry Your Heart Out is up there too. Only 900 views on YouTube is undeserved, as the track builds an emotional layer which gets enhanced when the guitar solo kicks in.
Regret is another top-quality watch/listen. Great guitar riff, awesome chorus. The video is also a great watch, with the toy robot getting a bit wasted. You can only imagine the laughs they had making this film in their local pub.
You Make Me Feel Like Someone Else runs back six years in the discography of Coastal Fire Dept. Great video and a song that hits hard. It has parts that have made me wave my arms and sing along, travelling up an escalator on the way to a gig.
So where am I going with this? Well, this is some of the band’s music on YouTube that I have been red-wining to in the kitchen. Some of the topics are certainly not celebratory, but this band has tunes that make it easy to become invested in.
Coastal Fire Dept. released their new album, Bonfire Of Favoured Egos, earlier this month, and the single Everything’s Dead is out now too.
“Everything’s Dead is us staring at the rot,” Ollie Goddard said. “The shops are quiet, the conversations happen through screens, and it feels like nobody’s really looking out for each other anymore. We’re not offering answers. We’re just saying it out loud.”
And they do it in that great Coastal Fire Dept. style too. The videos the band turns out are compelling, and the one for Everything’s Dead is no exception. Married with a great punk-edged song, this might be about the decay of human society, but the song is delivered in the usual tantalising style.
So the music is not complex to follow. We’re not talking about the intricacies of Power Metal or Symphonic Metal.
But that is what I love about this band’s music. The ability to switch off a bit from MetalTalk and just enjoy some time with this band is time very well spent. A busman’s holiday, if you like.
Now, to get a download of the new album Bonfire Of Favoured Egos and investigate more. I need a T-shirt too. And more MetalTalk Moldovan Merlot and, like a Gentleman, I shall top up the wife’s glass first. Cheers.
You can find out more about the Coastal Fire Dept. over at Bandcamp. The band play their album launch show at The Vault, N Plantation, Saint Peter Port, Guernsey, on 19 September. Tickets are on sale here.
